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Friday, February 7, 2014

What to Watch This Weekend: February 7, 2014

The directors of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and 21 Jump Street return by bringing the popular Lego construction blocks comes to the big screen. Like Cloudy, its creatively and beautifully animated. Like Jump Street, it's clever and funny. Sounds like a crowd-pleaser for the entire family.

Matthew McConaughey continues to prove that he's more than a sex symbol in the role of Ron Woodroof, a homophobic Texan whose life is turned upside down by a positive HIV diagnosis. Seeking alternatives after becoming frustrated with the standard HIV treatment of the 80's, enterprising Ron realizes that FDA-unapproved drugs present a lucrative business opportunity. Jared Leto also steps out of his comfort zone in the role of a transgender woman who becomes involved in Ron's controversial business.

Left to fend for themselves in the Brooklyn projects, a streetwise thirteen-year-old African-American teen and a naively innocent nine-year-old Korean form an unconventional team as they deal with rapidly depleting money and food supplies. The characters' situation and struggle feel real, if occasionally heavy-handed, and the story maintains a hopeful rather than depressing tone unlike many urban dramas.

Before Bryan Singer became a blockbuster director with X-Men, he made this indie mystery widely known for its clever, twisty story. A con man (Kevin Spacey) recounts the complicated series of events that he and four other criminals (Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Baldwin, Chazz Palminteri and Kevin Pollak) encountered after being blackmailed by a notorious crime lord.